As of the time of this post, the kick off of the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2011 season is a mere 120 hours away. It had been my intention, in a final effort at unbridled optimism before the first game starts, to put together the ultimate Season-Opening Pep Talk. Instead, since we’re all in this together, from the highs of last season to the lows of the lockout to whatever the hell you might call this preseason, I decided it would be better if we all write our own.

But to help, I composed this quick-n-easy Mad Lib. For anyone who doesn’t remember how this works, it’s pretty simple: Just fill in the first word that comes to mind after each prompt on the list, and then match it to the corresponding space(s) in the form that follows. If it all works out, you should have yourself a perfectly uplifting speech* to rally your spirits for Sunday!

*Special thanks to The Sports Cliché List for help in structuring a more authentically stereotypical pep talk.

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 “As I’ve conveyed over the last three years, everything that happens within these walls is family business.”

— Coach Todd Haley, “responding” to questions about Friday’s alleged
Thomas Jones-Jonathan Baldwin locker-room bout

“I thought I did address it…I addressed it as family business…I’m sorry if you didn’t think that.”

— Haley, when asked about it again three days later

Well, there you have it, Chiefs fans. Just in case you didn’t already realize you weren’t truly part of this “family,”* there are apparently certain things that only “family” gets to talk about—and that doesn’t include you.

*Hey, remember that whole months-long argument over how to divide the “family” finances? And remember how you weren’t allowed to say anything, even though you’ve anted up a chunk of your allowance for who-knows-how-many years?

Yes, the Pioli Administration has always been notorious for its stonewalling, and its newspeak has been well-documented and well-dissected on this site. But am I the only one who feels this “family business” business has taken it up a notch—and, frankly, is just a little creepy?*

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Last week, I finally sat down to undertake what has become an annual (and particularly anal) preseason ritual: entering all of the Chiefs’ regular-season games into the old Google calendar. Usually, this happens much earlier in the summer, but this year there was that whole lockout thing, and I don’t like putting things on the calendar that are technically still tentative. And no, I don’t actually rely on Google to remind me when there’s a Chiefs game about to start—it’s not like I have ever found myself, say, alphabetizing my Garbage Pail Kids collection at noon on a fall Sunday and been struck with a sensation that there was something else I was supposed to be doing. I just like seeing that sacred time blocked out on the calendar (and color-coded red, of course).

When I was done, I got up, left the computer…and then realized that I hadn’t marked off the times and dates of the preseason games. I thought about it for a second, and this is what I thought: “F(orget) that.” And just like that, my boycott began. I didn’t watch Friday night’s mess* and I have only a vague notion of when the next one is (and will, probably until I read about it on this site).

*Not at the time, at least—more on that in a bit.

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WARNING: This post ends with a bad rap parody.

It’s hard to believe, maybe, that this week marks the four-year anniversary of the debut of HBO’s Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Kansas City Chiefs. In fact, to celebrate,* the NFL Network broadcast a HK:TCWTKCC marathon yesterday. For one day, it was August 2007 all over again, and the whole gang was there: Herm Edwards, of course, and Gunther “%&#^@!” Cunningham, along with the stars of the show: Turk and Tank. Boomer Grigsby. The Croyles (mostly Kelli). And poor, poor Bobby Sippio.

*”To celebrate” is one way to put it. “To kill six dead hours in the middle of a Monday” is another.

It can also be hard to remember that, at the time, things didn’t look so bad. There was hope. We were coming off a 2006 season in which the Chiefs—though some of you, I’m sure, got “this thing twisted and think we backed into this deal”—were a playoff team, with an All-Pro running back that had just lead the league in carries and finished second in yards. Meanwhile, All-World tight end Tony Gonzalez had been signed to a five-year extension. And now, HBO was reviving its acclaimed NFL training-camp reality series and wanted to feature the Chiefs and only the Chiefs—and had been spending the whole summer hyping it.

No, we didn’t know at that moment just how hard we would all be knocked over the next three years. As late as that Halloween, it still seemed like we would continue to have something to root for. First, there were those 24 unanswered second-half points in San Diego to erase a double-digit halftime deficit. Then, in a very sloppy game in Oakland, the Chiefs outlasted the Raiders to prevail 12-10, securing a 4-3 record and, heading into their bye week, first place in the AFC West. That was October 21, 2007.

The Chiefs would not win again until September 28, 2008. They would lose 12 games in a row and 28 of their next 30, getting outscored 808-499 during that stretch—though the close, late-game losses would be the most pathetic and painful.

(You know, just in case you didn’t remember all that.)

But the point is that now, four years later, though we may whine and moan about our young Chiefs’ growing pains, we also have much to cheer. Which means it’s time for another parody.

So with all apologies* to Jaz-Z for hijacking his original (and to Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, who co-wrote the original original), please enjoy, if possible. Just don’t ask me to perform it for you.

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The longest work stoppage in NFL history is officially over.  The owners and players can pat themselves on the back (they already did) for biting the bullet and signing a deal that will continue to make all of them very rich.  Must’ve been tough.  What I would really like to see is a “Yes We Did” type press conference with Clark Hunt, DeMaurice Smith, and Roger Goodell all trying to look über cool up on stage with fog machines and lasers.  This would be a great day for DeMaurice Smith, finally making it on stage after being beat out by Doctor Teeth as front man for Electric Mayhem.  They could have an entire hour long narcissistic show about their decision to ratify the new CBA as well (I love they used this term like it was the freaking Constitution on the United States).  It would include what thoughts were going through their mind, where their inspiration to sign the document came from, how they did all of this for the fans, what type of pen they used, what type of shoes they were wearing, how it’s all for sale on eBay…

If I am correct though, you all did not come here to read about the lockout though, right?  Screw the past four months.  Addicts, it is time to talk real football!

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As Kansas City Chiefs fans, today is the first day of the rest of our lives.

While the NFL labor mess ultimately melted away as so many of us have been expecting it eventually would, this still feels like a new beginning. After all, a time when football’s future wasn’t endangered by the players and owners’ bickering was becoming difficult to remember. Before the lockout finally came to an end yesterday, it had persisted for 143 days. The entire 2010 NFL season—post-season and Super Bowl included—lasted 147. Soon enough, hopefully, this will all feel like a cruel joke.

But so what? Let’s schedule a group therapy session in a few months and see how we feel then. Right now, it’s time to focus on the present (and near future).

Speaking of focus, I’ll be honest—before joining AA early last year (around Halloween, whatever that might imply), I had been a diehard during-the-season Chiefs fan, and remained interested but much less obsessed in the months when there were no games. Fall and winter Sundays were sacrosanct and I would feed on pre-game hype all week long. But if I wasn’t the first person in the world to know about a summer free-agent signing, it didn’t exactly ruin my day.

All of that changed this February, when it was made clear to me by Dear Leader that while the NFL’s work was done for the season (or longer), mine here was not. Coming up with something new to write about the Chiefs every week* during a normal NFL off-season is insane enough, but during this off-off-season? For so long, it felt almost a little disingenuous, as if there was an unwritten caveat to every conversation-starter: “How tough is the Chiefs’ 2011 schedule (you know…assuming they wind up playing it)?” “Which free agents should KC go after (you know…if they ever get the chance to go after free agents)?” “Just how big of a jackass will Clark Hunt prove himself to be (you know…if…well—pretty big, actually)?”

*What ever would possess someone to do it every day, I cannot possibly understand—it’s Arrowhead Addict, not Arrowhead Nutjob—but I’m glad such a person exists.

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Now that the Lockout (it gets a capital letter now because it’s become it’s own entity) is over, we can take a moment to look back at it’s freakiest repercussions.

10. The Players want to start training camp. More players than ever before can be heard stating that they are now wanting to start the grueling regimen of training camp.

9. There will still be four meaningless, lackluster, boring old pre-season games to wade though. However, most of us will gladly take a pre-season game over what we’ve been dished the past 5 months.

8. The idea of a “Lockout” became so popular during this period that the NBA decided to give it a try. It’s such a copy-cat league.

7. The Lockout lasted so long we’ve seen… a space program… a royal wedding… a new American Idol… a 16 pound baby birthed in Texas…a Spring Break, an Easter, a Memorial Day, and a 4th of July… all come to pass.

6. Every fan, from the casual to the avid, can now, with 100% assurity, know that the owners and the players truly mean it when they say, “we’re doing this for the fans.”

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This is not yet confirmed by the Chiefs. We’ll let you know if/when it is.

Other teams set to start Thursday, according to NFLN:

49ers, Bengals, Buccaneers, Dolphins, Falcons, Lions, Redskins, Saints and Steelers

This is, of course, all contingent upon the players approving the deal. Pro Football Talk is reporting the NFLPA conference call has started.

UPDATE: NFLN is now reporting ALL training camps will start Friday. Who knows? And they changed it back again.

So now what?

There are a lot of conflicting reports out there about how the timeline for resuming NFL activities will work. I tend to favor the ones that move the fastest because quite frankly, the NFL doesn’t have any more time to screw around. They have already wasted four months so the more time teams have to make their personnel moves ahead of training camp the better. Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting such a timeline and I think it sounds pretty plausible.

Here it is:

The official start of the new league year would not start until August 2^nd (next Tuesday) at 2:00 PM.

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ESPN has obtained an email send from NFLPA/trade association representatives to the players this afternoon. The news is not good.

Here is the email:

“Guys, to keep you abreast of the latest developments, we are reviewing the latest proposal for a settlement.  Because of the passing of Myra Kraft in Boston, the NFLPA will not be making any public statements in honor of the Kraft family.

“Our recommendation is for everyone to stay put and keep doing what you are doing where you are doing it.  We will meet again Monday to discuss our options and the direction we want to go. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.  Your player reps.”

 

As senator Clay Davis from the hit HBO shot The Wire (best show ever in case you live under a rock or in one of the folds of Jamarcus Russel’s fat rolls) might say: “Sheeeeeeeeeeiiit.”

This could be a ploy by the players to light a fire under the collective billionaire asses of the owners. After the clear power play by the owners last night, the players may be willing to show them that two can play at this game. Whatever the reason and whatever the outcome, we are all losing.

To make you feel better, I present to you, Senator Clay Davis. This clip is rated R for “ridiculously awesome.” (and for language).

As we told you earlier this week, Myra Kraft, the wife of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, passed away after losing her battle with cancer. Her funeral is today and many, many NFL owners, players and personnel are in attendance.

Still, the news world keeps on turning and so the NFLPA/Trade Association has released a brief statement.

“Player leadership is discussing the most recent written proposal with the NFL, which includes a settlement agreement deal terms and the right process for addressing recertification. There will not be any further NFLPA statements today respect for the Kraft family while they mourn the loss of Myra Kraft.”

The statement was made by union/trade association president Kevin Mawae.

Union/trade association rep, Dee Smith, is in attendance at Kraft’s funeral.

PreThe players are taking their time and reviewing every inch of the proposed agreement today. After initial reports from ESPN’s Chris Mortenson last night that the players would vote today, ESPN is now pulling back a bit. There is still a chance a vote could come late tonight but it may take until sometime Saturday or even Sunday. We just don’t know. We also have no idea how long a delay in the vote will impact the proposed timeline for moving forwar dthe NFL laid out last night. This is, of course, assuming the players approve the deal.

Stay tuned.

Silver has been on top of the whole situation and he is much more talented at explaining things than I am, so I’ll turn things over to him. Plus, who wants to read after a long day? Evening videos rule.

 

We aren’t sure when the exact announcement will come and, quite frankly, trying to predict that makes about as much sense as trying to predict where lightening will strike.

I don’t want you to worry about when the announcement will come. I feel certain that it will and we can all rejoice when it does.

No, what I want you to worry about are three key dates. While these dates aren’t set in stone, they are a pretty good guess as to what to expect as this whole thing wraps up.

Thursday, July 21: Owners Meeting

On Thursday the owners will meet. The goal is to vote on a new CBA at that meeting. If all goes as planned this week, that will happen.

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According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the owners and players have agreed to terms on a rookie wage scale. If this is indeed true, this could mean a new CBA is right around the corner. Various sources have been reporting for days that the rookie wage scale was the last major issue the two sides were trying to figure out.

Here is what ESPN had to say:

High-level sources told Clayton all first rounders would get four-year deals, plus the option year, under current proposals. That option could be executed by the team after the third or fourth year of the contract.

Owners had been seeking a fixed amount for the fifth-year option, roughly $4 million. Players wanted a top 10 salary at the position for the top 16 picks and proposed a top 15 salary for picks 17 through 32.

From espn.go.com (share this quote)

Payment of rookies has been a big flaw in the NFL for many years now. Top picks are often paid more than proven veterans without ever playing a down in the NFL. With the high bust rate of players coming out of college, it is insane for teams to be paying unproven players more than their veteran counterparts. A rookie wage scale will hopefully be a move to minimize the risk for teams picking at the top of the draft.

Keep in mind, as in all labor talks, progress can often be undone very quickly. Still, if the reports are true, the news is encouraging. Cross your fingers.

Believe me, I know the feeling.

I am sure you have noticed we have cooled on our lockout coverage around here. The reason for that is because we’ve determined that the blow by blow coverage that you are seeing elsewhere, the daily lockout articles being pumped out by guys like Mike Silver and the folks at Pro Football Talk, are mostly useless.

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Addicts, as far as anyone can tell we are standing on the precipice of what promises to be a whirlwind of free agency and minicamps as players and coaches scramble to get ready for the upcoming season after the lockout ends.  As far as all reports are concerned a deal is very very very close to being completed, or to follow their rhetoric, “The lockout is almost over, unless it’s not, but if it isn’t than it will be soon, unless of course it ends later than sooner, but, well, ah you get the point.”

Realistically I do not think anyone has any idea what’s going on.  In the meantime that leaves the players, coaches, and fans stuck in the awful wake of uncertainty, left with nothing to do but speculate and hope.  Daily I hear of reports from “some guy who once saw a news article about the lockout” or “someone who was cleaning the toilets in the stadium after a Jonas Brothers concert” that decidedly say the lockout is almost over, to hang on, to bla-bla-bla.  I hate to sound cynical, but this seems more like a device to keep people listening and reading than real reporting.  I will believe what I hear when it is from the mouth of a credible source, until then I will disregard it like I do all of the fake websites showing what the iPhone 5 will look like.

More below the fold…

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July 12, 2011

Dear Vivien,

I am writing you this letter—okay, so it’s a blog post for my regularly scheduled slot*—with the hope that long before you are able to read and understand this, and optimistically within a matter of days from now, the NFL owners and players will have resolved their silly little labor dispute (no, I cannot explain that to you now—we are still busy trying to explain it to each other) and you will grow up in a world flush with Kansas City Chiefs football, as did your father and those before him.

*Daddy likes to multi-task. So sue him.**

**Not literally. This is just an expression. You’ll learn.

As your father, I see it as my responsibility to ensure that you grow up to know the wonderful joy, occasional disillusion, and ultimate, satisfying bond of being a Chiefs fan. It is, of course, only one of my many important jobs as your dad—which, as you must know, also includes (though it’s never intentional!) embarrassing you thoroughly, beginning with this letter. Sorry, kid—I think I may have seen that Google “Dear Sophie” ad one time too many.

Vivien Jeanette Wishna, born June 20. (Same birthday as Len Dawson.)

First of all, I want to commend you on how far you’ve already come in just three weeks: you eat constantly, burp and fart at will, and don’t even bother to get up when nature calls.* And you complain loudly the moment things don’t go your way. In short, you are well on your way to becoming a real American—and more specifically, a real American football fan.

*Embarrassed yet?

But Vivi, I think you’re really going to love being a Chiefs fan. There is much fun to be had and many thrilling moments to be shared, at home, at Arrowhead, or anywhere. I should warn you, though, that it isn’t always going to be easy. Once you’ve mastered certain mysteries in your young life—walking, talking, algebra, etc.—you will still inevitably have to contend with the inexplicable: A draw play called on third down? An all-time-great running back sitting on the bench? Holding? Holding!?! YOU CALL THAT HOLDING?!?!?

But perhaps, as I really hope, you’ll look back on this era of Chiefs history—with its grainy, “3-D high-definition” video (soooo 2011!)—as the time the team started its return to glory.

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According to various sources, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled and has overturned Judge Susan Nelson’s ruling that the NFL lockout is illegal.

We have no word yet on the details of the ruling but these developments could throw a major wrench into the labor negotiations. The 8th Circuit had told both parties that it would be best for them to strike a deal on their own because the ruling the court could eventually hand down could be unfavorable to both.

The owners and players appeared to take the advice to heart and resumed aggressive negotiations. It appeared that both sides were committed to getting a new deal done, perhaps by the end of this week. This ruling, however, could change the landscape dramatically. It will be impossible to tell how this will effect matters until we find out the details of the ruling.

Stay tuned.

Could we be in the final days of the NFL lockout?

I sure hope so.

The last two days of negotiations have taken place in New York and it featured only the lawyers from each side. Apparently the lawyers were huddling up and working out the legal language of a potential contract. That way, if and when a deal is reached, the process of getting the paperwork out of the way will be relatively painless. Word is that the lawyers put in 11 hours yesterday, so hopefully they got done what they needed to get done.

Today, the negotiating teams will return to the table to hopefully punch this thing into the endzone. There have been some interesting reports lately that seem to indicate the target for ending this thing really is this week. For instance, ESPN reported yesterday that U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan, who is mediating the negotiations per Judge Nelsons order, is set to start a vacation Saturday. Various sources have reported that both sides have warmed to Boylan and that he is a big part of the recent progress int he talks. Hopefully his impending vacation, coupled with the fact that the clock is running out on training camp start dates, has both sides determined to put an end to this nightmare by the close of business on Friday.

If that is the case, we could see free agency as soon as next week. Cross your fingers and hope it works this time!

Tandler is not vague with his information:

In fact, there is talk in the Redskins organization that there will be a resolution this week and that the lockout will end Sunday.

From realredskins.com (share this quote)

I’m not sure how credible a source Tandler is so take his report with a grain of salt. The National Football Post is also passing along Tandler’s report so they at least think enough of him to mention it.

I wouldn’t get your hopes too high here. Even Tandler mentions in his article that the information could just be office chatter. Then again, there are a lot of folks who think that this week is the deadline for the two sides to get something done so Tandler and the folks within the Redskins organization could just be engaging in some informed guesswork.

Guess we’ll all find out soon.

Roger Goodell and De Smith agree to take the weekend off so they can "get messed up, shoot off some roman candles and play some beer pong"

EVERYWHERE — In a not so shocking turn of events, NFL fans all over the United States issued a joint statement directed at the NFL owners and players Friday.

“The NFLFBA (National Football League Fanbase of America) would like to wish all the citizens of this great country a safe and happy 4^th of July weekend,” read the statement.

“Except for you NFL owners and players. You can get bent,” the NFLFBA added.

Patrick Allen, Editor for the Kansas City Chiefs blog Arrowhead Addict and who also serves as president of the NFLFBA said the statement was released in response to the news that the NFL owners and players would be breaking off from labor talks until Tuesday.

“Seriously,” said Allen. “Are they all high? They’ve been spending the last two weeks talking about how now is the time to make a deal and they have all admitted that if they don’t reach a deal soon that actual games will be missed and millions will be lost and they are taking the weekend off?”

“It really wasn’t difficult to tell them to get bent.”

Fan outrage is apparently growing across the nation as the NFL owners and players continue to act like they might “just f’ing melt into a pile of piss if one of them has to give up a couple of million dollars.”

“I’ll tell them what they can do with that extra couple of billion dollars they can’t figure out how to divide up,” said Green Bay Packers fan Jim McMichael from his Florida home.

“They can come down here, hand me all that money in a brief case full of unmarked bills and kiss my big, fat white ass!”

“Mine too,” added McMichael’s wife June.

“I realize they’ve been putting in a hard, what was it now, four days of sitting at a table on their old, rich asses negotiating over how to divide up money I’ve only seen represented on “Ducktales” when Scrooge McDuck dove into his pile of gold and swam around in it,” said Ohio man and truck driver Robert Jameson.

“I get being tired and wanting a few days off but for Christ sake! I worked 80 hours last month so my daughter could go to the prom and afford that dress from Burlington Coat Factory. 80 hours! Burlington Coat Factory! These guys are real twits, you know that? Real f’ing twits.”

An unnamed source close to the owners told us that most of the men are simply suffering from fatigue.

“Most of these guys haven’t had to work for anything in years,” said the source under the condition of anonymity. “Hell, some of them have never had to work. Jerry Richardson doesn’t even wipe his own ass anymore. It’s hard for the little guy to understand.”

“Yeah maybe I can’t understand,” said McMichael when we told him the source’s explanation. “But maybe they should understand that if they don’t get a deal done soon, next Independence Day they won’t be celebrating independence from the British but instead independence from my boot being two feet up their asses.”

The NFL owners and players did not release a written statement in response to the NFLFBA’s statement, they did however send over some photos of them all sitting together smoking joints rolled in hundred dollar bills, drinking champagne and giving the camera the finger.

A call to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodel’s home went unanswered, though the answering machine did say that the Comish would return all calls on Tuesday after he was finished “getting crunk and blowing shit up this weekend.”

You can read more about the NFLFBA and NFL fan frustrations at www.arrowheadaddict.com.

From the Gazette:

Turner said he was told by a person familiar with the negotiations that the goal is for the deal to be official by July 15. He also said it is his understanding that the free agency period would begin July 18, with a 48-hour signing period for undrafted free agents to follow. Then veteran free agents would go on the market July 20.

From www.post-gazette.com (share this quote)

The Turner the paper is quoting is agent Joel Turner who represents Steelers safety Ryan Clark.

If Turner is correct then it would set up a wild period of free agency. The teams would only have two days to negotiate with and sign their own free agents before free agency would begin. It woul dnot be fun for GM’s but it would be a heck of a lot of fun for us. Football would come back and come back with a vengeance.

Turner also told the paper that the NFL and players want to try to wrap up a deal before or right after the July 4th holiday because they are worried that the courts will come back next week and hand down a ruling that is unfavorable to both sides. Remember, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals told both parties that they would be wise to work this out on their own.

Despite varying reports of whether or not the talks are going well, recent news has broke that seems to support Turner’s claims that the sides are trying to wrap this thing up now. Various sources are reporting that the talks in Minnesota went until after midnight last night and that they resumed at 8AM this morning, less than eight hours after they broke for the night. That shows urgency we haven’t seen in some time.

Cross your fingers and toes Addicts. This thing will hopefully be over soon.

The Muppet and the Puppet (Photo courtesy of @NFLPA)

Everyone’s favorite dynamic duo, NFLPA representative and loudmouth DeMaurice Smith and NFL Commissioner and owner apologist Roger Goodell now appear to be the best of buds.

As much as a Muppet (Smith seriously looks like a Mupper) and a puppet (sometimes I think I can actually see strings attached to Goodell’s shoulders) can be buds. What is even more mind boggling is that a Muppet IS a puppet.

Think about that and try not to go cross-eyed.

Um, anyway, the reason for this post is because it would appear the NFL and the layers may be getting closer to a deal. We got word this week that the sides have committed to four days of talks instead of their usual two. Then we found out that the players and owners are out of the room and that it is just Goodell, Smith and a bunch of lawyers meeting in Minnesota. The Minnesota courts have jurisdiction over the CBA and will have to approve a settlement of the Anti-Trust lawsuit the players have filed against the owners. Logic tells us, although we can’t confirm it, that the meetings are taking place in Minnesota so that once a deal is reached, the necessary legal documents and forms and other boring stuff can be filed right away so that the NFL can get back in business as soon as is possible.

The other good sign is that Roger Goodell and Smith traveled to Florida Tuesday so that Goodell could speak to the NFL rookies at the NFLPA sponsored Rookie Symposium. The NFL usually holds a symposium for rookies during the offseason in order to help them get acclimated to NFL life. The event usually features a number of speakers and informational sessions. This year, however, the symposium was canceled because of the lockout. The fact that Goodell is speaking at this event sponsored by the players pretty much indicates that the league approves of the meetings which Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out would be unlikely if the sides weren’t closing in on an agreement.

The duo is expected to return to Minnesota this afternoon to continue talks. There is growing urgency for the sides to get a deal struck just before or right after the 4th of July holiday weekend. Time is running out as teams will need to prepare for their training camps which are suppose to kick off at the end of July. Before then GM’s will need to negotiate and sign their rookies and free agents, as well as make moves in what will likely be the most hectic free agency period ever.

My guess is that we won’t hear any good news until after the July 4th weekend but hope springs eternal so maybe we’ll get word that an agreement in principle has been reached before we all head off for a weekend of hamburgers, hot dogs and PBR.

Let’s just hope those folks pulling the strings on the Muppet and the Puppet don’t mess things up in the homestretch.

NFL fans the world over are anxiously awaiting the end of the NFL lockout. Fans of every team league wide just want to see their guys back on the field. As long as a deal gets done in time to not miss any regular season games most fans will be content. Yes, we have all missed our regular off season influx of information from rookie camps and OTAs, and also the latest information of which free agents are going where. However, if the season gets under way on time our lives will not have been effected much at all (unless of course you write for a sports blog and have had to come up with weekly topics despite the fact that NOTHING interesting is going on). If you really get right down to it, if training camp is able to start on time, the veteran players really won’t have been effected that much either . The only places where they will REALLY have missed the OTAs are in places where coaches are putting in a new playbook or scheme. That is not our Kansas City Chiefs (thankfully). For the other teams it will largely just be getting the rookies and new free agents adjusted to the team’s way of doing things.

That all having been said, there is one person on each organization that will have their work cut out for them once this lockout ends. That person is the General Manager. For the Chiefs that person is Scott Pioli.

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Hey De Smith. You look like a muppet. Shut up and get a deal done.

The NFL lockout is still going strong despite recent reports of progress at the bargaining table.

ESPN is reporting that the latest round of super secret talks at an undisclosed location inside a secret bunker outside of Boston have wrapped up for the week. ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio reports via an unnamed source that talks are heading in the “right direction.” Talks are expected to resume next week, though both sides are expected to continue working and hammering out details until that time.

Now that we got the good news out of the way, Pro Football Talk is reporting via an unnamed source (surprise) that NFLPA/Trade Association representative DeMaurice Smith told the players that a deal is not close and to “not believe the hype.”

Well damn.

First of all, and I am sympathetic to the players, Smith needs to shut the hell up. For a couple of weeks now, both sides have been talking and we have been getting nothing but positive reports that things were moving in the right direction. For the first time in a long time we haven’t had to hear either side taking shots at the other in public. We haven’t had to hear any pro union/player or pro owner spin campaigns.

Now, when it seems things might finally be happening, Smith has to go off and run his mouth. He knew damn well his “message” to players would leak out. I am not sure what his motive is but I can tell you his actions, if he did indeed do this, are not productive.

This is a tense situation and the last thing we need is one side or the other to start shooting off their mouth in a sly attempt to try to gain some leverage, whether it be in the negotiations or with the court of public opinion. While Smith’s words weren’t a direct shot at the owners, they were not helpful to the effort to keep the mood positive and the talks focused.

I’ve been very supportive of the players throughout this entire process. If the reports I have been hearing about the potential framework of the new CBA, the players are closer to getting a fair deal than they have been at any time throughout this process.

So please, DeMaurice Smith, shut the hell up.

Hey! What in the heck are you guys doing without me?

Matt Cassel, Dwayne Bowe, Jamaal Charles, Brian Waters, Branden Albert, etc. all know the offense.

Eric Berry, Derrick Johnson, Brandon Flowers, Ron Edwards, etc., all know the defense too.

In fact these players have been involved in football for so long, (most of their lives), I am absolutely sure they can design and implement a few, or maybe even a lot of, plays on their own.  They can coach, and apparently are coaching, themselves.  And they should…

More after the jump…

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With the NFL owners’ “slumber party” wrapping up in Chicago yesterday, all eyes now turn to an undisclosed location outside of Boston where various sources are reporting labor negotiations are continuing between the owners and players.

A lot of info seems to be leaking out of yesterday’s slumber party meeting and most of it is positive. We are hearing that the negotiating team presented some of the basic points of the proposed new CBA to the other owners and that there was almost no objection.

The big issue at the center of this whole mess has always been money. For about 20 years, the players and owners split revenue 50/50. When negotiating the new CBA, there were reportedly some owners that wanted the players to take a pay cut all the way down to 40%. What we are hearing now, from ESPN’s Christ Mortenson is that the owners are prepared to now bump that figure all the way to 48%. Once the revenue issues are settled, all the other dominoes (free agency, rookie salary cap, benefits, 18-game season, TV contracts) are likely to fall rather quickly.

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It’s good to be back from vacation, well sort of.  When you leave for a while you always come back to a pile of work and chores that were neglected while you were away, but such is life.  While I was visiting friends and family in Kansas City this past week I had the opportunity to do several things.  I went to my first MLS game to see Sporting KC beat the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0, caught some sun at the lake, and while driving I spent a lot of time listening to 810 Sports Radio which is awesome if you’re a fan of KC sports.  Indeed I forgot just much more in depth coverage you get from the media when you’re actually in town.  While driving around one day, they were interviewing the Chiefs players that attended the three day minicamp put together primarily by QB Matt Cassel, and while listening to these players talk about how much work Matt put into getting this thing rolling something struck me.

Could it be?  Did I just unwittingly stumble upon a plot forged by football masterminds dating back to week four of last season, or has this lockout finally pushed good ol’ Nick over the edge of insanity?  Am I seeing just how much forethought and vision Todd Haley’s coaching staff possesses, or am I connecting dots to form a picture that only I can see?

Find out after the jump.

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Goodell and Kraft talk Shoots and Ladder's Strategy

NFL owners, Commissioner Roger Goodell and a few of their lawyers are all getting together in Chicago today to hold the creepiest slumber party in the history of slumber parties.

Actually they are meeting to discuss the current labor negotiations with the players but everyone was told to pack a bag as the meetings are expected to last a couple of days. While the official start of the meeting is today, there are reports that some of the owners met as early as last night.

The general consensus seems to be that the owners will be trying to get on the same page so that they can hammer out a deal with the players in the next couple of weeks. There have been some reports that a few of the owners are not happy with the current course of labor negotiations and that they believe the negotiating team, that includes Chiefs’ owner Clark Hunt, are giving up too much ground. The hope seems to be that the negotiation team can get the rest of the owners behind a plan so that the next time they meet, they be voting on a new agreement.

The time has definitely come for the owners to bend a little. Too much money is at stake for them to continue to try to strong-arm the players into a deal. Both sides seem to be willing to get something done if the recent positive reports out of the negotiations are any indication. That means this meeting is a chance for the owners at the table to get the rest of their colleagues on board.

While I am happy the owners are meeting in an effort to move things forward, I can’t help but be creeped out by the idea of an NFL owner slumber party. I was even more disturbed when NFL PR sent me the meeting minutes as of early this morning.

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Tonight, Chiefs fans, for the second week in a row, there will be big-league, professional football* played in Kansas City—in a glittering, filled-to-capacity stadium—and broadcast live on national television.

*Or, of course, as it’s called in this country, “soccer”—which makes a hell of a lot more sense. I mean, have you seen a soccer ball? It’s round! It doesn’t look anything like a foot!

Last Thursday was a monumental day for the other football team founded by our beloved Lamar Hunt. Sporting KC—the team formerly known as the Wizards, who were originally nicknamed, in a fit of either marketing brilliance or complete cluelessness, the Wiz—christened their brand-spankin’-new stadium, Livestrong Sporting Park, named for the foundation of the much admired cyclist, cancer-survivor, and alleged illegal doper Lance Armstrong. With ESPN2’s cameras focused in, SKC battled the Chicago Fire—a team named for one of the largest and most deadly disasters in U.S. history—to a decidedly indecisive scoreless tie, or what my father would call “a close game.”*

*Throughout my childhood, my father—who simply was not as avid a fan as my mother or me—would walk in on us riveted to the last thrilling seconds of a nearly tied football or college basketball game and invariably say the same thing: “Huh. Close game!”

It ain't Arrowhead. But right now, neither is Arrowhead.

Now, tonight, the U.S. men’s national team is in town to take on Guadeloupe, which as it turns out, is in fact a tiny island nation in the Lesser Antilles with a population one-fifth that of the KC metro area, and not, as I had thought, just some guy named Guadeloupe. This is a crucial match for the U.S., which is hoping to stay alive in its quest for the Gold Cup of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, or CONCACAF—an acronym that is actually longer than the word “acronym.”

Based solely on what you’ll see here on local front pages, TV news, and billboards, it would be hard to deny that Kansas City is—at least for this week and/or until the NFL owners and players settle their dispute or Clark Hunt announces he is giving all of his employees raises and adopting a gaggle of orphans and/or a litter of really cute, abandoned puppies to show what a good guy he is—a fútbol town.*

*Or, if you prefer, a “soccer city.”

So here’s a quick refresher on just some of the subtle differences between our football, the game of inches, and soccer, the game of feet. Yes, it’s been done before, but so has “Here’s Why The NFL Lockout Still Stinks.” Let me have my fun.

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We can only hope so because the alternative is terrifying.

Check out 100-50.

#49-40

#39-30

#29 Herman Edwards

Whether he is setting your favorite NFL franchise back decades by simply coaching them or creeping you out on ESPN, Herm Edwards is not a guy you’d want to wake up and find standing at the foot of your bed.

]]> http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/14/100-things-scarier-than-no-football-29-20/feed/ 0 http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/14/is-there-light-at-the-end-of-the-nfl-lockout-tunnel/ http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/14/is-there-light-at-the-end-of-the-nfl-lockout-tunnel/#comments Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:13:18 +0000 Patrick Allen http://arrowheadaddict.com/?p=24065 For the NFL lockout to come to an end, 24 of the 32 owners must meet and vote on the terms of a new labor agreement. That may be happening next week. The NFL owners are scheduled to meet next Tuesday in Chicago. Now it is important to mention that the owners are scheduling one [...]

Is There Light At The End Of The NFL Lockout Tunnel? - Arrowhead Addict - Arrowhead Addict - A Kansas City Chiefs Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more

For the NFL lockout to come to an end, 24 of the 32 owners must meet and vote on the terms of a new labor agreement.

That may be happening next week.

The NFL owners are scheduled to meet next Tuesday in Chicago. Now it is important to mention that the owners are scheduling one meeting a month during the labor dispute. For example, they already have a date set for a July meeting. What makes Tuesday’s meeting more interesting, however, is a recent report by ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter that the owners have been told to “pack a bag and plan to spend the night.”

While this is all just speculation, the news indicates to me that the owners are hoping to have the basic terms of a labor deal in place so that they can vote next week.

The players and owners have been engaging in “no lawyers allowed” meetings for the last couple of weeks and have been working hard to inch themselves toward a deal. The talks will resume this week and if the two sides can get a basic framework of a deal in place, then presumably the owners could talk it out and take a vote next week. This would give the players and owners a week or so to hammer out the smaller details and get everything wrapped up in time for the preseason.

If a deal were signed shortly after the 4th of July, there would be a couple of weeks for free agency and contract negotiations before training camp. Things would still be very compressed for GM’s but it beats missing actual games.

So let’s all circle June 21st on our calendars and hope the players and owners can get this mess worked out this week.

And let’s hope the courts stay out of it until they do.

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Check out 100-50.

#49-40

Let’s get started.

#39: Rosanne

Roseanne has been terrifying adults and small children alike for over a decade now. Don’t expect her reign of terror to end any time soon.

]]> http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/09/100-things-scarier-than-no-football-39-30/feed/ 0 http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/08/clark-hunt-attends-nfl-meetings-in-nyc/ http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/08/clark-hunt-attends-nfl-meetings-in-nyc/#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:54:19 +0000 Patrick Allen http://arrowheadaddict.com/?p=23701 We told you earlier that the NFL and the players are continuing to meet this week in NYC in an attempt to reach labor peace. According to NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt is getting in on the “fun.” Again, NFL attendees at talks: Commissioner and 5 owners–Richardson, Hunt, Kraft, Mara, [...]

Clark Hunt Attends NFL Meetings In NYC - Arrowhead Addict - Arrowhead Addict - A Kansas City Chiefs Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more

]]> We told you earlier that the NFL and the players are continuing to meet this week in NYC in an attempt to reach labor peace. According to NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt is getting in on the “fun.”

Again, NFL attendees at talks: Commissioner and 5 owners–Richardson, Hunt, Kraft, Mara, Spanos.less than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyGreg Aiello
gregaiello

Hopefully Clark will contribute to the end of this labor strife.

]]> http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/08/clark-hunt-attends-nfl-meetings-in-nyc/feed/ 0 http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/08/100-things-scarier-than-no-football-49-40/ http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/08/100-things-scarier-than-no-football-49-40/#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:20:57 +0000 Patrick Allen http://arrowheadaddict.com/?p=23685 Last Friday we brought you 100-50 in our top 100 things scarier than no football in 2011. Today I had originally planned to give you the entire top 50 but then I thought about it and realized there is no reason to rush things. After all, there is still no football. So join me, if [...]

100 Things Scarier Than No Football: #49-40 - Arrowhead Addict - Arrowhead Addict - A Kansas City Chiefs Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more

]]> Last Friday we brought you 100-50 in our top 100 things scarier than no football in 2011. Today I had originally planned to give you the entire top 50 but then I thought about it and realized there is no reason to rush things.

After all, there is still no football.

So join me, if you dare, in rolling through #49-#40. Reader beware…this stuff can get pretty frightening.

#49: The Facts of Life

The Facts of Life might just be the scariest television show of all time. Imagine being locked in a dark room, tied to a chair, with your eyelids cut off. In this room with you is nothing but a TV, playing The Facts of Life.

How long would it take you to go insane?

For those who might not remember this crap, which is quite possibly the most annoying show you could ever hope to watch (followed closely by The Nanny) here is a brief reminder of why you should be afraid.

]]> http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/08/100-things-scarier-than-no-football-49-40/feed/ 0 http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/08/the-story-lines-of-the-2011-2012-season/ http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/08/the-story-lines-of-the-2011-2012-season/#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:00:22 +0000 http://arrowheadaddict.com/?p=23662   Chiefs fans and fellow Addicts, there is an old saying that no news is good news.  The meaning behind this is that if you don’t hear anything, at least nothing bad is happening.  This saying, however, is complete bullshit when it comes to the NFL this offseason.  No news is definitely bad news.  So, [...]

The Story Lines Of The 2011-2012 Season - Arrowhead Addict - Arrowhead Addict - A Kansas City Chiefs Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more

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To Help With Relief Text REDCROSS to 90999

 

Chiefs fans and fellow Addicts, there is an old saying that no news is good news.  The meaning behind this is that if you don’t hear anything, at least nothing bad is happening.  This saying, however, is complete bullshit when it comes to the NFL this offseason.  No news is definitely bad news.  So, with the uber-coverage going on with the lockout and appeals, and the totally unwarranted reports of Al Davis surviving from daily injections of Red Bull and virgin blood,* I am going to look forward and review the multiple story lines forming for the Chiefs’ upcoming season.

*After much research and many phone calls, I have found that without a doubt Al Davis has never been nor will be sponsored by Red Bull.  A spokesperson on the telephone assured me that all reports of Al Davis injecting their product while mixed with the blood of virgins, “May in fact be true, but the effects of injecting Red Bull mixed with the blood of other people is not advised, may be detrimental to your health, and any reported results of extending the life of Al Davis have not been evaluated by the FDA at this time.”

Despite the lack of offseason acquisitions and trades, the more I look into next year, the more I see that there are a multitude of appealing plotlines and unanswered questions old and new that I will be watching for.  So let’s choose to ignore the deafening silence of this offseason and take a look at what’s in store if/when the Red and Gold take the field in the 2011-2012 season.

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]]> http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/08/the-story-lines-of-the-2011-2012-season/feed/ 0 http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/08/nflplayers-super-secret-meetings-continued-tuesday/ http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/08/nflplayers-super-secret-meetings-continued-tuesday/#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:20:35 +0000 Patrick Allen http://arrowheadaddict.com/?p=23686 Multiple sources reported yesterday that the NFL and the players continued their secret meetings Tuesday. You may remember that last week, the owners and players met in the owners’ secret skill/volcano lair. They then met again later in Scotty Pippen’s basement, where they played the original NBA Jam on Pippen’s old Sega Genesis. Commissioner Roger [...]

NFL/Players Super Secret Meetings Continued Tuesday - Arrowhead Addict - Arrowhead Addict - A Kansas City Chiefs Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more

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The owners and players reportedly played some Sega at their secret meetings.

Multiple sources reported yesterday that the NFL and the players continued their secret meetings Tuesday.

You may remember that last week, the owners and players met in the owners’ secret skill/volcano lair. They then met again later in Scotty Pippen’s basement, where they played the original NBA Jam on Pippen’s old Sega Genesis. Commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly delivered a devastating helicopter dunk on Kansas City Chiefs G Brian Waters. The Comish then proceeded to make a “you can’t see me” while Waters endured considerable heckling from the other players in attendance.

Anyway, after some Sega and pizza, the sides talked about the labor situation. The interesting thing to come out of last week’s events were that the lawyers for each side were asked not to attend. As we told you last week, they instead spent their afternoon at the local hospital sucking the souls out of newborn babies. I’ve also heard reports that after leaving the hospital, the lawyers proceeded to stop by the local animal rescue to kick some kittens. The abuse continued until NFL council Jeffery Pash bit the head off puppy and the group was asked to leave.

On Friday, the lawyers took center stage where they argued for and against the lifting of the lockout for the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. As things wrapped up, the court told both sides that they may not like the ruling the would hand down and urged the NFL and players to reach a deal on their own.

The news of Tuesday’s talks seems to indicate that the NFL and the players got the message. Though I think they will still likely hold out making any moves until they find out what the court rules, they will hopefully have most of the details of a deal worked out before then. That way, if the ruling really is a bum deal for both sides, they can ignore it and move on.

If we’ve learned anything from all this, it is that these lawyers are some sick bastards.

Oh, and they everyone is better off when they aren’t in the room.

]]> http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/08/nflplayers-super-secret-meetings-continued-tuesday/feed/ 0 http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/07/the-short-end-of-the-schedule/ http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/07/the-short-end-of-the-schedule/#comments Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:00:34 +0000 Victor Wishna http://arrowheadaddict.com/?p=23380 Well, Chiefs fans, we are now just three months away from the start of the 2011 NFL season. Unless, of course, we’re not. As the owners and players await their fate in court and seem no closer to sitting down to talk, we start to face the real possibility that this little tiff may ultimately [...]

Getting The Short End Of The Schedule - Arrowhead Addict - Arrowhead Addict - A Kansas City Chiefs Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more

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Well, Chiefs fans, we are now just three months away from the start of the 2011 NFL season. Unless, of course, we’re not.

As the owners and players await their fate in court and seem no closer to sitting down to talk, we start to face the real possibility that this little tiff may ultimately ruin more than just our offseason. And as Patrick reported yesterday, the league already has some not-so-top-secret plans for a much shorter regular season, should it come to that:

The reports are that the proposed eight-game season could start in late November. The Chiefs open the third week of November by taking on the Patriots in New England. They then have vs. Steelers, @Bears, @Jets, vs. Packers, vs. Raiders, and @Broncos. That would be seven (brutal) games. It would include four road games and three home games. My guess is that the NFL would add one more game to the end of the year. I’m not sure how the other schedules for other teams work out, but it would make sense for the eighth game to be at Arrowhead vs. the Chargers. This would mean the Chiefs would play the division once, plus five out-of-division opponents.

This is just one scenario.

Indeed. Well, it just so happens that I was able to get a hold of a few random pages of the NFL’s lockout contingency manual. Here are a few more scenarios, each more nightmarish than the last…

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]]> http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/07/the-short-end-of-the-schedule/feed/ 0 http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/06/report-nfl-planning-for-a-season-as-short-as-eight-games/ http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/06/report-nfl-planning-for-a-season-as-short-as-eight-games/#comments Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:23:11 +0000 Patrick Allen http://arrowheadaddict.com/?p=23610 Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal is reporting that the NFL has plans in place for a season as short as eight games. Yikes. While it sounds shocking, it makes perfect sense for the league to have plans for how they might deal with missed football games. While no one wants a shortened season, I think [...]

Report: NFL Planning For A Season As Short As Eight Games - Arrowhead Addict - Arrowhead Addict - A Kansas City Chiefs Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more

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Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal is reporting that the NFL has plans in place for a season as short as eight games.

Yikes.

While it sounds shocking, it makes perfect sense for the league to have plans for how they might deal with missed football games. While no one wants a shortened season, I think most fans would agree that they would rather have eight games than, well, no games.

In the strike shortened season of 1982, the NFL played only nine regular season games. The league then instituted a 16-team playoff tournament for the Super Bowl championship. The Washington Redskins were the eventual winner.

When I first heard of this prospect I couldn’t help but wonder how the NFL would work out the schedule? In 1982, the first two games of the season were played before the players went on strike. After they returned, the NFL picked up the schedule from that point. They ignored the divisional standings and took the top 16 teams into the playoffs. The Chiefs went 3-6 and did not qualify.

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]]> http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/06/report-nfl-planning-for-a-season-as-short-as-eight-games/feed/ 0 http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/05/a-ruling-no-one-will-like/ http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/05/a-ruling-no-one-will-like/#comments Sun, 05 Jun 2011 21:34:00 +0000 Patrick Allen http://arrowheadaddict.com/?p=23600 Well the hearing to lift the NFL lockout was held in St. Louis on Friday while we are waiting for a ruling to come from the 8th Circuit, we were left with something to ponder from one of the judges. Before the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Kermit Bye urged both sides to come to [...]

A Ruling No One Will Like? - Arrowhead Addict - Arrowhead Addict - A Kansas City Chiefs Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more

]]> Well the hearing to lift the NFL lockout was held in St. Louis on Friday while we are waiting for a ruling to come from the 8th Circuit, we were left with something to ponder from one of the judges.

Before the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Kermit Bye urged both sides to come to an agreement on their own and told them that the court could very well deliver a ruling that neither side liked. Not being a lawyer, I had no idea what that could be.

Thankfully for me, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is/was a lawyer and he has come up with a theory as to what a ruling both sides wouldn’t like might entail.

Second, the Eighth Circuit would rule that the non-statutory antitrust exemption lasts for only six months after expiration of the CBA, given the specific term in the expired labor deal requiring the players to wait six months before filing an antitrust lawsuit. Given the Norris-LaGuardia Act, this wouldn’t end the lockout as of September 11, the day on which the first slate of Sunday games are due to be played. However, it would expose the NFL to treble damages beginning with Week One of the regular season, if the lockout ultimately is determined to be an antitrust violation as of September 11.

Thus, the owners would be able to lock the players out for all of the 2011 season, but the owners would ultimately be responsible for the full player payroll in 2011, times three. That’s an amount that easily would exceed $10 billion.

From profootballtalk.nbcsports.com (share this quote)

Check out Florio’s entire explanation over at PFT.

If Florio is right then a the ruling really wouldn’t give either side very much leverage. The NFL would have the slight advantage because they wouldn’t have to pay right away and the players probably couldn’t last an entire season without pay. That being said, if I was promised three times my salary for not working for a year, you can bet I’d be finding a couch to sleep on. While it is unlikely the players would take that route, it would be a scenario that I doubt the NFL would be willing to risk.

The writing for both sides has been on the wall for a few weeks now. It is time to make a deal and do it on their own. Unfortunately, both camps will probably wait for the courts ruling in hopes that a Hail Mary gets them the leverage they need. If that is going to be the case, let’s hope the 8th Circuit rules and rules quickly so we can put this mess behind us.

]]> http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/05/a-ruling-no-one-will-like/feed/ 0 http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/04/clark-hunt-and-the-chiefs-continue-to-take-heat-over-pay-cuts/ http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/04/clark-hunt-and-the-chiefs-continue-to-take-heat-over-pay-cuts/#comments Sat, 04 Jun 2011 13:54:07 +0000 Patrick Allen http://arrowheadaddict.com/?p=23567 Earlier in the offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs made pay cuts across the organization to prepare for impending financial losses due to the NFL lockout. Now they are taking heat from a couple media sources that are calling the pay cuts unnecessary. It started yesterday when Yahoo’s Mike Silver, who is not shy about his [...]

Clark Hunt And The Chiefs Continue To Take Heat Over Pay Cuts - Arrowhead Addict - Arrowhead Addict - A Kansas City Chiefs Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more

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Earlier in the offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs made pay cuts across the organization to prepare for impending financial losses due to the NFL lockout. Now they are taking heat from a couple media sources that are calling the pay cuts unnecessary.

It started yesterday when Yahoo’s Mike Silver, who is not shy about his pro-player stance, called out Clark Hunt specifically by name, calling his decision to slash employee pay “unconscionable.”

Now the guys over at Pro Football Talk are piling on. One of their more recent posts is headlined “Chiefs should rescind lockout pay cuts.”

Here is a bit from the article:

Today, we’re compelled to specifically mention one team that has no legitimate reason to reduce employee pay, and to ask that team to stop doing it. Per the Kansas City Star, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt (pictured) has said that his team is “leading the league in new ticket sales by a significant margin.” And the Chiefs, like the Buccaneers, took full advantage of the absence of a spending minimum in 2010, with salary commitments as of the middle of September in the neighborhood of $90 million, well below the point at which the salary floor would have been.

So why are the Chiefs cutting employee pay during the lockout? It’s a question that every affected employee — and his or her family members — should be asking.

From profootballtalk.nbcsports.com (share this quote)

More after the jump.

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]]> http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/04/clark-hunt-and-the-chiefs-continue-to-take-heat-over-pay-cuts/feed/ 0 http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/03/100-things-scarier-than-no-football/ http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/03/100-things-scarier-than-no-football/#comments Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:49:31 +0000 Patrick Allen http://arrowheadaddict.com/?p=23551 I know we are all terrified with the prospect of there being no football in 2011. At night, I routinely wake up in cold sweats shouting about the matter. To help me deal with these fears, I have decided to compile a list of 100 people, movies, things and ideas that are SCARIER than a [...]

100 Things Scarier Than No Football - Arrowhead Addict - Arrowhead Addict - A Kansas City Chiefs Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more

]]> I know we are all terrified with the prospect of there being no football in 2011. At night, I routinely wake up in cold sweats shouting about the matter.

To help me deal with these fears, I have decided to compile a list of 100 people, movies, things and ideas that are SCARIER than a year with no football. Alright maybe they aren’t all scarier than a year of no football but some of this stuff is damn freaky.

Hopefully whenever you start feeling afraid, you can look back at this list and realize things could be much, much worse.

We’ll start with the first 50 today and hit you with the next 50 next week.

100. Hillary Clinton

This picture, in particular, scares the crap out of me.

99. Furbies

Might look cute at first but these things give me the creeps.

98. Michael Jackson and ET

If this doesn’t make you uncomfortable then there is something wrong with you.

(Shudders)

96. Cher

(Shudders again)

95. Jay Lenno's hair

Could be worse….you could look like that.

]]> http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/03/100-things-scarier-than-no-football/feed/ 0 http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/03/current-and-former-chiefs-havily-represented-at-todays-hearing/ http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/03/current-and-former-chiefs-havily-represented-at-todays-hearing/#comments Fri, 03 Jun 2011 14:30:37 +0000 Patrick Allen http://arrowheadaddict.com/?p=23541 We told you earlier that Kansas City Chiefs LB Andy Studebaker was present at the hearing in St. Louis today but it appears there are many current and former Chiefs apart of the 30 player contingent. The hearing is about to kick off. Below is a list of players in attendance, former and current Chiefs [...]

Current And Former Chiefs Heavily Represented At Today’s Hearing - Arrowhead Addict - Arrowhead Addict - A Kansas City Chiefs Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more

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Photo from Albert Breer

We told you earlier that Kansas City Chiefs LB Andy Studebaker was present at the hearing in St. Louis today but it appears there are many current and former Chiefs apart of the 30 player contingent.

The hearing is about to kick off. Below is a list of players in attendance, former and current Chiefs are in red. Thanks to NFL Netowrk’s Albert Breer for the info.

Jon Beason, Jordan Black, Matt Bryant, Tyson Clabo, Craig Dahl, Adam Goldberg, Cullen Jenkins, Brandon Moore, Jon McGraw, Rudy Niswanger, Chester Pitta, Tony Richardson, Bryan Robison, Jake Scott, Steve Smith, Andy Studebaker, Osi Umenyiora and Brian Waters.

I presume Mike Vrabel is also there somewhere.

]]> http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/03/current-and-former-chiefs-havily-represented-at-todays-hearing/feed/ 0 http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/03/chiefs-linebacker-andy-studebaker-present-for-todays-appeal-hearing/ http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/03/chiefs-linebacker-andy-studebaker-present-for-todays-appeal-hearing/#comments Fri, 03 Jun 2011 13:33:59 +0000 Patrick Allen http://arrowheadaddict.com/?p=23527 June 3rd is finally here and that means the players and the owners will be back in court for the long-awaited appeal hearing with the 8th Circuit Court in St. Louis. We know that LB Mike Vrabel has been heavily involved in the players’ cause throughout the process, but now it appears his protegee Andy [...]

Chiefs Linebacker Andy Studebaker Present For Today’s Appeal Hearing - Arrowhead Addict - Arrowhead Addict - A Kansas City Chiefs Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more

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Studebaker

June 3rd is finally here and that means the players and the owners will be back in court for the long-awaited appeal hearing with the 8th Circuit Court in St. Louis.

We know that LB Mike Vrabel has been heavily involved in the players’ cause throughout the process, but now it appears his protegee Andy Studebaker is also getting involved.

According to fox2now.com, Studebaker is one of about 30 NFL players present for the hearing.

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]]> http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/03/chiefs-linebacker-andy-studebaker-present-for-todays-appeal-hearing/feed/ 0 http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/02/espn-goodell-owners-hold-secret-meetin-in-chicago/ http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/02/espn-goodell-owners-hold-secret-meetin-in-chicago/#comments Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:12:03 +0000 Patrick Allen http://arrowheadaddict.com/?p=23480 ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortenson are reporting that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell held a secret meeting with NFL owners yesterday to discuss their strategy heading into tomorrow’s hearing with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. Moments after the story broke on ESPN, Schefter also tweeted that the NFLPA, including De Smith, also met face [...]

ESPN: Goodell, Owners Hold Secret Meeting In Chicago - Arrowhead Addict - Arrowhead Addict - A Kansas City Chiefs Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more

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Goodell met NFL owners in their secret Skull/Volcano lair in Chicago yesterday.

ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortenson are reporting that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell held a secret meeting with NFL owners yesterday to discuss their strategy heading into tomorrow’s hearing with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Moments after the story broke on ESPN, Schefter also tweeted that the NFLPA, including De Smith, also met face to face with the NFL yesterday. As of yet there is no word if this was all one big meeting or two separate meetings. There is also no indication on what was discussed.

My hope is that the two sides met to discuss how they will handle things once the 8th Circuit hands down their ruling. If the owners win, the lockout will still be on and the players will be pretty much out of leverage. If the players win, the lockout would be lifted and the NFL could be in for a chaotic free agency period. The NFL would have to scramble to implement some sort of 2011 rules as soon as possible. The feeling, though it is not a guarantee, seems to be that the owners will prevail in this round of court battles.

Hopefully both sides agreed that regardless of the outcome, Friday is the 4th quarter of courtroom football. Hopefully they decided that whoever the court rules for wins and that following the ruling both sides will return to negotiations, keeping in mind that one side now has definite leverage. Hopefully whichever side has the leverage will be gracious to the loser in the working out of a deal. Hopefully the losing side will understand that their race is run and get themselves the best deal they can so we can all get back to football in time for training camp.

Hopefully.

 

]]> http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/06/02/espn-goodell-owners-hold-secret-meetin-in-chicago/feed/ 0 http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/05/31/what-should-we-think-of-clark-hunt/ http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/05/31/what-should-we-think-of-clark-hunt/#comments Tue, 31 May 2011 19:00:23 +0000 Lyle Graversen http://arrowheadaddict.com/?p=23392 December 13, 2006 was a sad day for fans of the Kansas City Chiefs. That was the day that Chiefs owner and founder Lamar Hunt passed away. The man did so much for football in general, not just our team, that it was impossible to be anything but sad. However, I remember thinking that day [...]

What Should We Think Of Clark Hunt? - Arrowhead Addict - Arrowhead Addict - A Kansas City Chiefs Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more

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Hunt on the lockout: "See what had happened was.........."

December 13, 2006 was a sad day for fans of the Kansas City Chiefs. That was the day that Chiefs owner and founder Lamar Hunt passed away. The man did so much for football in general, not just our team, that it was impossible to be anything but sad. However, I remember thinking that day that there was one possible bright spot. The word on the street was that Lamar’s son Clark would likely be the new guy at the top of the Chiefs totem pole and that he did not share his father’s unquestioning loyalty to Carl Peterson. For me that was a bright spot on a very dark day in Chiefs history.

In the years that have passed since that day Clark has really flown under the radar. Public comments are few and far between. There is a pretty wide range of opinions on the job he’s doing. If there wasn’t a lockout in place, we probably wouldn’t be talking about him at all. However, with the current lockout situation many are starting to question Hunt, specifically his spending the last few seasons. Others are willing to credit Hunt for the current success the team is having. After the break I’ll look at some of the facts we have regarding Hunt and the timeline since he took control of the team. Then I’ll explore a few different outlooks on the head Chief, Clark Hunt.

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]]> http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/05/31/what-should-we-think-of-clark-hunt/feed/ 0 http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/05/26/is-there-hope-for-football-this-year/ http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/05/26/is-there-hope-for-football-this-year/#comments Thu, 26 May 2011 17:00:19 +0000 merlin http://arrowheadaddict.com/?p=23172 Here at Merlin’s Magic, I tend to shy away from the labor talks. However, there have been some reports that haven’t received much attention that warrant discussion and hope. This article was posted a couple of days ago on Pro Football Talk. The money shot is this quote: it’s important to keep in mind the [...]

Is There Hope For Football This Year? - Arrowhead Addict - Arrowhead Addict - A Kansas City Chiefs Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more

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Here at Merlin’s Magic, I tend to shy away from the labor talks. However, there have been some reports that haven’t received much attention that warrant discussion and hope. This article was posted a couple of days ago on Pro Football Talk. The money shot is this quote:

it’s important to keep in mind the fact that, as Peter King of SI.com pointed out in today’s Monday Morning Quarterback, the two sides aren’t really all that far apart.

The crux of the dispute relates to money, especially since the non-economic terms offered by the NFL on March 11 contain many very player-favorable provisions,

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]]> http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/05/26/is-there-hope-for-football-this-year/feed/ 0 http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/05/17/the-hangover-continues/ http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/05/17/the-hangover-continues/#comments Tue, 17 May 2011 17:00:00 +0000 Victor Wishna http://arrowheadaddict.com/?p=22713 Here we are, Kansas City Chiefs fans, at what is supposed to be the midpoint between the end of last season and the beginning of the next. I am falling into my usual mid-offseason crisis—however, this time there’s no guarantee of recovery. There may still be faint light at the end of the tunnel, the [...]

The Hangover Continues… - Arrowhead Addict - Arrowhead Addict - A Kansas City Chiefs Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more

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Here we are, Kansas City Chiefs fans, at what is supposed to be the midpoint between the end of last season and the beginning of the next. I am falling into my usual mid-offseason crisis—however, this time there’s no guarantee of recovery. There may still be faint light at the end of the tunnel, the tunnel that will hopefully lead out onto the field at Arrowhead Stadium on Opening Weekend in September. But as we await our next day in court—and with the ominous first comments from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8^th Circuit, it ain’t a’lookin’ so good—we don’t know how long the tunnel is going to be…

Here’s what we do know: The 2010 season turned out to be one hell of a party. And as the party wore on into the wee hours of the playoffs, I remember that everything was going great… The Chiefs were in the postseason at home for the first time since the early-mid George W. Bush administration. It was a sell-out crowd. The temperature at game time was a balmy 20 degrees Fahrenheit. In the first quarter, the Chiefs were keeping it close against the favored Baltimore Ravens. Excitement was building. And then, I distinctly remember, this happened.

But from that point on, everything became a blur. And now we’re left to piece together how exactly we got to where we are today… and whether we’ll ever find our friend Doug.*

*Actually, there is no player currently on the Chiefs roster named Doug, the last one being Doug Terry in 1995. There is, however, a Dwayne—who has, on occasion, gone missing.

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]]> http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/05/17/the-hangover-continues/feed/ 0 http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/05/16/appeals-court-grants-leagues-request-for-a-stay-of-the-lockout/ http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/05/16/appeals-court-grants-leagues-request-for-a-stay-of-the-lockout/#comments Tue, 17 May 2011 01:24:49 +0000 Patrick Allen http://arrowheadaddict.com/?p=22710 The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has granted the NFL’s motion for a stay. What does that mean? It means that the lockout is still on and will be staying on until the court rules on whether to overturn Judge Nelson’s ruling. That ruling will likely come sometime in mid to late [...]

Appeals Court Grants League’s Request For A Stay - Arrowhead Addict - Arrowhead Addict - A Kansas City Chiefs Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more

]]> The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has granted the NFL’s motion for a stay.

What does that mean?

It means that the lockout is still on and will be staying on until the court rules on whether to overturn Judge Nelson’s ruling. That ruling will likely come sometime in mid to late June.

The players will get to please their case but unfortunately for them, things are not looking good. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk pointed our earlier, the appeals court may have tipped their hand as to how they will rule in June with some text from their ruling granting the temporary stay.

Per Florio, from page 11 of the ruling:

“[W]e have serious doubts that the district court had jurisdiction to enjoin the League’s lockout, and accordingly conclude that the League has made a strong showing that it is likely to succeed on the merits.”

This should make the players very, very nervous. If the league wins the appeal then play players lose their leverage. The NFL will then hold all the cards. The league’s plan all along was to use the threat of an extended lockout and the potential of missed game checks to squeeze the players into agreeing to a deal favorable for the owners.

This isn’t going to happen but I think it is time for the players to wave the white flag. If they sign a deal now, before the appeals ruling, they might be able to convince the league to bend a little. I say this not because I agree with the owners but because I now feel the players are doomed to lose this appeal. After that, the league will have all the leverage and if the players remain stubborn I do believe games will be missed.

Chances are, however, the players’ lawyers will convince them that they still have a chance of winning the hearing in June. If the players buy it then that means the lockout will roll on all the way into June and possibly the beginning of July, depending on how long it takes the court to rule.

It sucks but the players always knew their best option was to go to the courts. If it looks like they are going to lose in court, their best bet is to cut their losses now and get back to work. Otherwise, the owners are going to run out the clock.

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